Here Are The Basic Science Questions That 1 In 4 Americans Got Wrong

Business Insider ^ | 02/18/2014 | Dina Spector

[SeekAndFind]

The Earth circles the sun once every year, but a startling 26% of Americans get this simple fact backward. They think that the sun orbits around the Earth. This shocking finding comes from a survey of more than 2,200 people in the United States, conducted by the National Science Foundation in 2012. The survey, done every two years, tests the public's knowledge of basic facts in the physical and biological sciences.

The survey is included in a major federal report, Science and Engineering Indicators, prepared for the president and Congress.

In 2012, Americans answered an average of 5.8 out of the survey's 9 questions correctly. That's a score of 65% — barely a passing grade.

All of the questions on the survey are listed below. Take the quiz, then see how you compare to your fellow compatriots.

Questions:

1. The center of the Earth is very hot. True or false?

2. The continents have been moving their location for millions of years and will continue to move. True or false?

3. Does the Earth go around the sun, or does the sun go around the Earth?

4. All radioactivity is man-made. True or false?

5. Electrons are smaller than atoms. True or false?

6. Lasers work by focusing sound waves. True or false?

7. The universe began with a huge explosion. True or false?

8. It's the father's gene that decides whether the baby is a boy or girl. True or false?

9. Antibiotics kill viruses as well as bacteria. True or false?

10. Human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals. True or false?

[petercooper]

bttt

[mountn man]

10. Human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals. True or false?

I guess, MAYBE, it depends what you classify as human beings and whether they are still animals or not.

[Dr. Sivana]

Some of these questions don’t lend themselves to T or F.

For 2 and 10, from a scientific perspective, the answer is, we don’t know.

For #3, it all depends on your reference point. The complexity of making it work the other way is not pertinent.

[Sacajaweau]

Is the object of this quiz...an answer to No. 10??

And we need to know all those things because??

[Idaho_Cowboy]

Big deal: #2, and #7 are bad enough; where was the global warming question. This whole thing is just to push an agenda.

[TexasFreeper2009]

I got them all right, but 7 & 10 should be reworded a bit in my opinion.

[TigersEye]

10 out of 10. Easy peasy!

[knarf]

I wasn't going to click the link because I didn't think it was really worth my time ... except ... what DO they say about #7 ... so I looked;

1. True (84%); 2. True (83%); 3. Earth around the sun (74%); 4. False (72%); 5. True (53%); 6. False( 47%); 7. True; (39%); 8. True (63%); 9. False (51%); 10. True (48%)

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/national-science-foundation-survey-2014-2#ixzz2tonCX2vQ

So there you go, Americans are wrong because the answers are wrong.

I need a drink .. and dope ... and sex

[eartick]

Woohoo 100%...I guess I could be POTUS. Oh wait, I do not play golf, lie, cheat or am queer so that leaves me out.

Oh, well back to the salt mine.

[TexasFreeper2009]

I would reword 7 & 10 to say:

7. Many scientists believe the universe began with a huge explosion called the big bang. True or false?

10. Many scientists believe that Human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals in a process known as evolution. True or false?

[CaptainK]

I got a 100%!!

[Pan_Yan]

The scientists only got a 70.

Weird.

[Idaho_Cowboy]

In 2012, Americans answered an average of 5.8 out of the survey’s 9 questions correctly. That's a score of 65% — barely a passing grade.

---

Wait... 9 Questions?????!!!!! There are 10 listed! And the original article has 10 listed yet says 9 questions!

Why are we listening to the scientific idea of people who can't count. How did the editor miss that one?

[colorado tanker]

My experience is most public schools have de-emphasized teaching hard science in favor of ecology and other environmentalist crap. When they do teach it it's dumbed down, like they have dumbed down math.

So, I'm not surprised by this.

[Sacajaweau]

No. 7 is speculative also....but goes along with No. 10.

[Pan_Yan]

It’s apparent the Department of Education is underfunded.

[Billthedrill]

The usual quibbles with imperfect terminology from science reporters who are obviously not scientists. For example, it isn’t the fathers “gene” that determines the sex of the child but whether the spermatozoon contains a Y chromosome or an X. There is, as well, the problem of confusing the most current theory with established truth. That isn’t how science works.

[Dead Corpse]

7 hasn’t been proven yet. Big Bang is just a theory. I’m a “recycling Universe” type.

[FatherofFive]

10. Human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals. True or false?

Can someone explain to me how 2 sexes evolved?